Modern consumer and industrial electronics, especially devices with a graphical imaging capability, such as cameras, televisions, projectors, cellular phones, and combination devices, are providing increasing levels of functionality to support modern life including three-dimensional display services. Research and development in the existing technologies can take a myriad of different directions.
As users become more empowered with the growth of three-dimensional display devices, new and old paradigms begin to take advantage of this new device space. There are many technological solutions to take advantage of this new display device opportunity. One existing approach is to display three-dimensional images on consumer, industrial, and mobile electronics such as video projectors, televisions, monitors, smart phones, gaming systems, cameras, or a personal digital assistant (PDA).
Three-dimensional image processing systems have been incorporated in cameras, projectors, televisions, notebooks, and other portable products. Today, these systems aid users by capturing and displaying available relevant information, such as diagrams, maps, or videos. The display of three-dimensional images provides invaluable relevant information. Three dimensional images can be formed by capturing stereoscopic images with multiple lenses.
However, displaying information in three-dimensional form has become a paramount concern for the consumer. Displaying a three-dimensional image that does not correlates with the real world decreases the benefit of using the tool.
Thus, a need still remains for better image processing system to capture and display three-dimensional images. In view of the ever-increasing commercial competitive pressures, along with growing consumer expectations and the diminishing opportunities for meaningful product differentiation in the marketplace, it is increasingly critical that answers be found to these problems. Additionally, the need to reduce costs, improve efficiencies and performance, and meet competitive pressures adds an even greater urgency to the critical necessity for finding answers to these problems. Depth estimation can also be used for applications such as auto focus, gaming, or other similar applications.
Solutions to these problems have been long sought but prior developments have not taught or suggested any solutions and, thus, solutions to these problems have long eluded those skilled in the art.